A Long December

If you don't like your Christmas present from me this year, don't take it personally.  I really did try to put some thought into it, but I have never been so unprepared for anything.  My brain hasn't caught onto the fact that this year is almost over.  I think it's about 80 degrees today, so it doesn't feel like winter.  I do actually have my shopping done, though I admit that a few things are still in the mail.  I am becoming increasingly dependent on internet shopping to fulfill my shopping needs.  This is a year round thing--not just a holiday thing.  I guess I figure that if people will bring things to my front porch, why should I have to go to the mall?  I didn't get Christmas cards out this year either, so this blog will have to suffice.  Maybe I will send New Years cards.  That's a thing isn't it?

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been spending some of my days off working in Big Spring.  I have had a lot of people ask me if I am planning to move there.  I will put an end to that rumor right now and just say no.  They are just understaffed right now and looking for some extra help.  Let's just say I did it for the money.  They hired two new people this week, so I may be done with that for a while anyway.  Also, since my last blog, the Murray household has become cornucopia of germ warfare.  Let me give you an example of how this works.  Ethan, the disease incubator, goes to daycare and collects every strain of sickness that he can find.  He ends up with pink eye and an upper respiratory infection.  Since that is all his body can handle, he passes a sinus thing with a neverending cough on to me.  Three weeks later, I feel fine except for the cough.  Meanwhile, Tiffany is just getting over some weird viral infection that is symptomatically flu-like, but which the doctor says is not the flu.  Luckily, Ethan and I have avoided all of that mess.  After a few missed days of work, doctor visits, and a lot of lying around in front of the TV, we are all on the mend.  Saturday, although Tiffany was still sick, we took our child to the mall for a visit with Santa.  As you can see from the picture, Ethan was not impressed.  He was fine talking to him with me standing there, but when I moved out of the way for the pictures he started making faces.  I think he though we were going to leave him there.  At least he didn't throw a fit or anything.

My sister had a baby on December 3.  If you want to read any cute stories about him, you can check out her blog.  I just lied to you.  There are no cute baby stories on that blog, but there probably will be one of these days.  I haven't made it to visit yet, but I hope to remedy that situation very soon.  Thanks to the internet and digital photography, they don't seem quite as far away.